REGION, July 3rd- Members of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union Local 645, Pear Street in South Scranton, have protested in front of the CVS Caremark Pharmacy’s on Abington Road in Clarks-Summit and the Green Ridge Street in Scranton because of the failure of the company to hire workers that earn a living wage for the area.

Drew Simpson, Warden/Representative of Local 645, which is affiliated with the Keystone Mountain Lakes Regional Council of Carpenters in Pittsburgh, told the newspaper the main objective of the union is to have a signatory contractor of Local 645 be hired for the renovation and construction of CVS Pharmacy stores in the region.

The union members are “hand-billing” customers of the stores which state why they are there.

Mr. Simpson stated that the company is lowering the area labor standards by hiring construction workers that are paid so poorly.

“Shame on CVS Caremark Corporation for contributing to the erosion of area standards for carpenter craft workers. KNL Construction will be performing work on the CVS Pharmacy project located at Winola Road and South State Street in Clarks Summit. KNL Construction does not meet area labor standards for all their carpenter craft workers, including fully paying for family health benefits and pension,” states the Carpenters Union flier. The hand-bill includes a drawn image of a rat eating a American flag. A new Clarks-Summit store is under construction.

“We must do something to boost the economy. Paying workers below the area labor standards will do very little to improve the local economy,” said Mr. Simpson.

Mr. Simpson added that the union plans to continue the demonstrations off-and-on or until the company signs an agreement with a Local 645 signatory contractor.

The protest includes a large banner that indicates there is a labor dispute with CVS and states the corporation should be “ashamed.”

“A rat is a contractor that does not pay all of its employee’s area standards wages, including either providing or making payments for health care and pension benefits,” the flier states.